Scavenge

A soft hum echoes through the sewer camp and, because of the tense nerves of all the survivors, is enough to rouse everyone from their restless sleep. Father David's snap open and sees that Henrick is already putting his backpack on. "So, we'll have to scavenge huh?" the priest says as he stands and prepares himself, his face set in grim lines.

Henrick simply nods and wakes Elly up. "Elly, get up. Is there somewhere you can hide while we're gone? Somewhere that Grant doesn't know?" he asks as he watches her groggily rub her eyes. "Yes...a kind lady lets me sleep in her tent when I need to." she answers, getting up swiftly. Elly looks around and scrunches up her face in worry at the gathering scavengers, then quickly gives Henrick and Father David a hug, before scampering off.

Henrick watches Elly run off and shakes his head with a laugh. "Spirited girl. Let's go, Father." he says as they make their way to the main tent. They arrive and the soldier scowls at the scent of unwashed bodies and the tang of fear floating through the air. A few minutes pass as the survivors fidget with their belongings, clearly terrified of going out.

Bobby steps out from his large tent and stretches as carefree as can be, grinning at the gathered survivors. "Nice, nice, you guys are up nice and early. Remember to grab as many canned goods as you can. Shoo, go be useful." he waves them away and is about to go back in, but is interrupted by a melodious voice.

"Aren't you forgetting something Bobby?" Selene says as she appears from behind a tent. Bobby pauses and gives the survivors a smile filled with false sincerity. "Ah of course, breakfast, how could I forget." he says as he gestures for his guards to distribute cans of food. He turns away and scowls as he enters his tent. Henrick simply watches the exchange with a hint of amusement as he grabs a can.

He quickly consumes the cans contents and walks towards Selene, his face impassive. "You might be pushing a little hard. He doesn't look like someone to forgive easily." the soldier says as he crosses his arms and waits for a response. Selene calmly eats her breakfast and derisively snorts at Henrick's words. "Neither am I. He's keeping my little brother hostage, the least he could do is give us breakfast. That bastard..." she spits out, venom dripping from her every word.

Henrick merely shrugs at that and follows her as she walks deeper into the sewer. Father David speaks up as they arrive at a manhole cover that's dripping with dark purple liquid. "Do you think that the thunderstorm is gone?" he asks as they climb a ladder. Henrick shakes his head as he reaches the top of the ladder. "I don't think so, but we don't have a choice." he says as he pushes the manhole cover open.

Viscous dark purple liquid immediately pours down as Selene and Father David dodge out of the way. Henrick, however, was not so lucky. He braces himself on the ladder as the liquid soaks his clothes. "Damn it!" the soldier shouts as his grip slips from the ladder and he falls onto his back. Selene covers her mouth as she gives a light chuckle while Father David laughs out loud.

Henrick immediately gets up and glares at the both of them before he watches in fascination as the liquid seeps into his very skin, leaving him dry. Electricity courses through his body as the liquid enhances his strength to new heights.

With faintly glowing electric blue eyes, Henrick leads the way out of the sewer. Hurricane force winds still buffet the world above ground, but the rain seems to have stopped. The trio carefully make their way out of the manhole cover and Henrick peeks outside the alley for any hostiles. Selene signals for the both of them to follow as she leads them to a tall mall.

Father David looks at the mall with concern as he sees dark purple tendrils spread all over the side of the building. "Dear Heavenly Father, the world got worse." he mutters as they enter.

Henrick nods solemnly at the priest's words, but an unreadable emotion passes through his eyes. The mall is dark as the electricity seems to have gone out. The dark purple skies outside, only add to the horror-like atmosphere. Blood and entrails line the floor as the group make their way through the viscera stained halls.

The group makes a beeline to the nearest Walmart and fill their bags with as much canned goods and water as they can. Unfortunately, most canned food were dislodged and spilled on the floor. The group exits and looks around the mall for anything that can be of use.

They make it to the fifth floor, when Henrick's eyes widen in excitement as he sees a gun store. He signals for the group to follow him as he speed walks to the shop. The lights are off and it's dark inside, but the faint outlines of guns are still visible. As soon as he arrives at the door, however, a hulking brute of a monster smashes through and lands a backhand that sends Henrick flying into the opposite hardware store. "GRAAAAAAAAHHH!!" It screams as it continues its charge towards the rest of the group, its bony protrusions seeming to pulse with a dark purple energy.

Father David roars and unleashes multiple concussive blasts that slow the creature down, as Selene unleashes a bolt of magic that strikes the creature's leg and topples it. Their small victory is short lived as the tortured howling of mutated creatures suddenly shatters the relative silence of the mall.

Henrick gets up from the hardware store and shakes his head as he notes that blood is flowing down from a small gash on his face. "Huh. Thought that would hurt more." he says as he walks out of the wreckage, electricity flowing over his body. The hulking monstrosity picks itself up from the floor and tries to swing a large meaty fist towards Selene, but is stopped as Henrick catches it with both hands.

He pushes the fist away and leaps forward with a knee that shatters the monsters face and staggers it. As soon as he lands, he throws a devastating electric enhanced haymaker onto the monster's stomach that sends it into the gun store. Undeterred, the monster simply gets up and charges once more at the group.

With a snarl, Henrick unleashes a large bolt of electricity that streaks towards the brute's face and punches a large hole straight through it. The monster twitches, then collapses as dark purple mist goes towards the soldier, who looks to his hand in amazement. "Damn that felt good." he says as he clenches and unclenches his fists.

Selene brings him out of his revelry as she places a hand on his massive shoulder. "We need to find somewhere we can hide, there are more monsters coming." she says hurriedly as she looks around. Henrick watches as Father David approaches and is about to reply to Selene, when the floor explodes upwards and separates the group.

Henrick gets flung off the railing and plummets down as Selene and Father David both get launched towards the body of the brute monster. "FUUUUUU-oof" Henrick's curse abruptly stops as he lands on an escalator. He looks at what made the ground explode when he sees a dark purple tendril pulsing as it moves with an eerie liquidity.

A mouth suddenly opens from its tip and releases a scream that pierces through the air. "KREEEEEEEEEEEEK!!" Henrick notes that he's on the second floor and is about to rush up, when he sees a horde of beast like monsters rushing towards him. "Henrick! Run!!" he hears Selene scream as sounds of battle occur with the tendril.

He doesn't hesitate any longer and runs, but it is too late. The mutated creatures have surrounded the soldier. They waste no time and immediately leap towards Henrick in a bid to be the first to mutilate him. Henrick roars as he unleashes blow after blow of lightning enhanced punches and kicks.

Retreating as he fights, Henrick makes it to the toilets and uses the narrow door as a way to funnel the creatures in manageable groups. The fight continues and Henrick's lightning starts weakening, yet the manic grin on his face only grows wider with each passing second.

Father David and Selene desperately dodge the tendrils as Selene sends bolts of magical energy towards it. She scowls, however, as the tendril regenerates its damaged parts. "We have got to go, David!" she shouts as she deflects a swipe, her brow filled with beads of sweat. "No! Not without Henrick!" Father David shouts as he lands a punch that erupts in a concussive shockwave, dazing the creature and making it spit out blood.

The Tendril glows an intense purple and redoubles its efforts to impale the priest. "He can take care of himself! More of the monsters are coming to us, we have to go up!" Selene shouts as she conjures a magical blade and slices the tendril in half, killing it. Inhuman shrieks fill the air as mutated creatures rush towards the pair and Father David grimaces as he runs with Selene.

"Henrick! Go up!! You hear me?! Go up!" the priest shouts as they take the stairs upwards. Thunder booms overhead, mixing with the cacophony of tortured screams.

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END